


Compare and Contrast

by cozycas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Engineer Dean, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-08-22 22:31:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8303587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cozycas/pseuds/cozycas
Summary: Dean Winchester finds himself in a sticky situation when he runs into his ex-girlfriend who has happily moved on. So, what does he do? He lies and says that he, too, has moved on.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Supernatural work. I am excited to see where I can take this.  
> my [tumblr](http://c0zycas.tumblr.com)

The sun shone brightly overhead as Dean made his way through the quad towards the campus dormitories. He clutched the strap of his backpack at his chest as he walked along the green grass.

To make himself look occupied amongst the many students in the quad, he stretched out his left arm to check the time. It was 3:58. He’d left the engineering building at 3:30 and his legs were burning from the lengthy walk he faces everyday.

He was halfway across the quad when someone called his name.

“Dean? Is that you?” it was a voice that he had hoped would never be directed at him again.

Hesitantly, he turned his head to his right to see his ex-girlfriend, Lisa Braeden, standing up from her spot on a blanket. She glanced down at a man who was still seated on the blanket, looking at Dean curiously.

“Lisa…” he said quietly, unsure of what to do. He stopped walking and shifted his body to face her.

She smiled at him widely. “How have you been?” she asked him.

“Um… fine, I guess. And you?” Dean cleared his throat. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been great, really great, in fact.” Her eyes widened, as if she had remembered something. “Dean, this is Maxwell Hill. He’s my boyfriend.” Her hands gestured to the man who was currently standing up from his spot on the blanket he and Lisa had been sitting on.

Maxwell awkwardly waved at Dean. “It’s nice to meet you, Dean. I’ve heard some about you from Lisa.”

That made Dean feel uncomfortable. Well, more uncomfortable in this already uncomfortable situation. He didn’t know what to say, so he stayed quiet.

“So, how have you been? Romantically speaking?” Lisa asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Dean wanted to laugh. Was she seriously asking him if he had moved on? After what she put him through a year ago, how could he? He was about to tell her that, no, he had not seen anyone new, even though a few people had made it known that they had wanted to. But something about the way that Maxwell was standing so close behind Lisa made Dean feel weak. So he lied.

“I-I’ve been good,” he smiled nervously, thoughts racing as he tried to come up with something fast. If he told her he was dating a girl, she would maybe be interested in finding out who she was. Maybe if he told her he was dating a guy, she would leave the subject alone. During the two years they had been together, he revealed to her that he was bisexual, and she acted pretty nonchalant about it. But maybe she wouldn’t asked at all.

“Oh? Seeing anyone at the moment?” she asked. 

He nearly cursed aloud. He thought quickly on what to say. “Yeah, actually. I am. A guy,” he said shortly, only looking at Maxwell briefly to see his reaction. He didn’t have one, and Dean figured that maybe that was something Lisa had told Maxwell about him.

“Really? I’d love to meet him, Dean! How about we go out on a double date?” Lisa asked, eyes sparkling with excitement, and Dean’s heart gave a painful squeeze.

He panicked shortly, but he was too embarrassed to admit the truth. “Sure. Let me in on the details later.”

Lisa smiled happily. “Number still the same?” she waited for him to nod. “I’ll text you.”


	2. Chapter 2

“I messed up,” Dean sighed, running a hand through his short hair.

“You didn’t mess up,” his friend Charlie said softly from her spot in front of him. “We can figure this out.”

“I don’t want to tell her the truth. That’s so embarrassing,” he said, laying his head down so his forehead was touching the cool surface of Charlie’s table.

“So, don’t tell her the truth,” Charlie smiled.

Dean lifted his head, “Then, how do I fix this?” he questioned. “I can’t go on the double date by myself. I’d be the third-wheel. I’d be the third-wheel on a date my ex-girlfriend is having with her new boyfriend.” He groaned and put his head down again.

“Well since you don’t have a boyfriend, like you told her you did, we’ll just have to find you one,” Charlie explained.

“I can’t just find a boyfriend in three days, Charlie,” he sat up completely in exasperation.

“Well, maybe not… but you could find a fake one,” she smirked.

“A fake boyfriend?” Charlie nodded. “But, I don’t even know anyone well enough to ask them to be my fake boyfriend.”

“You might not know anyone, but I do,” she said with a gleam in her eyes. “Come back here to my room this time tomorrow.”

He eyed her suspiciously before agreeing. “Alright, I’ll come here tomorrow, then.” He looked at the watch for the time. “I should probably get going, now. I’ve got some assignments I need to finish up.”

She nodded and stood up to walk him to the door. “See you tomorrow, Dean.”

“See ya, Charlie.”

\---

“You want me to do what?”

Charlie chuckled at her friend’s reaction. She adjusted her grip on her cellphone before speaking. “He’s a great guy, seriously. This whole thing shouldn’t last long. Just one, maybe two, double dates with his ex and then it’ll be over with.”

“Why would he lie to her in the first place?”

Charlie sighed, “Dean was embarrassed. He saw her new boyfriend standing there. He saw her happy. I guess he wants her to think he’s happy, too.”

“Their breakup… was it bad?”

“It hurt Dean a lot. She told him her feelings had faded to nearly nothing. She told him that going on dates with him felt like hanging out with her brother. They stopped having sex and Dean, being the sensitive person that he is, was left really hurt and confused.” Charlie explained.

“Ouch. That sucks.”

Charlie cleared her throat before continuing. “So, should I expect to see you at my place at 5:30 tomorrow?”

The voice on the other line was silent for a moment.

“Yeah. I’ll be there.”

Charlie sighed out a breathe of relief. “Thanks, man. I knew I could count on you.”

\---

Dean felt nervous as he made his way around the quad. He didn’t want to accidentally run into Lisa and Maxwell again. He quickly made his way to the girl dormitory building Charlie lived in. As he walked, he checked him phone for the time. It was 5:38. He was running a little bit late, and for some reason, he felt like he was making a bad impression on whoever Charlie was planning to fake set him up with.

He finally reached Charlie’s building, and he took the elevator up to the third floor before making his way to her door. He knocked three times and nervously tucked his hands inside the pockets of his jeans.

It was only a brief moment before the door opened and Charlie was grinning up at him.

“Sorry, I’m a little late,” Dean apologized.

Charlie shook her head, still grinning. “No worries, Dean. Come inside.” She stepped back and Dean entered.

He was too nervous to look around so he looked at his shoes as he shuffled inside only a few feet.

“So, Dean... “ Charlie spoke. He looked up at her and he in the corner of his eye he could see someone sitting at Charlie’s table. “That’s Castiel, and he is willing to help you with your little problem.”

Finally, Dean looked over at the man. He looked like he was around Dean’s height. He had dark hair, and even though Dean was on the other side of the room, he could tell that the man’s eyes were a striking blue. The man had light stubble, and he was attractive.

Dean’s palms were sweating when Castiel stood up from his spot at Charlie’s table. Dean rubbed his palms against the inside of his pockets as Castiel smiled and made his way over to him.

“I’m Castiel Novak. It’s nice to meet you, Dean,” Castiel stuck his hand out for Dean to shake.

Dean hesitantly pulled his right hand out of his pocket to shake Castiel’s hand, throat feeling dry as he began to speak. “It’s nice to meet you, too. My name is Dean Winchester.”

Castiel looked amused. “I know who you are. Charlie’s told me about you many times. I’m honestly a little shocked that we haven’t met before.”

“Now is as good a time as any,” Charlie mused as she leaned against the wall, observing their interactions.

“So, Charlie has told me about your current situation involving your ex-girlfriend. I am willing to help. I just figured that we should talk things out first. Get to know each other, and work out all of the missing details of our relationship. How long do we have before this double date?” Castiel asked.

“Well, not counting today, we have two days,” Dean said.

Castiel nodded in thought before looking back up at Dean. Dean briefly thought about how easy it would be to get lost in those blue eyes. “Well then, let’s get to it, boyfriend.” So easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little longer. I hope you like it. Feedback is appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean and Castiel agreed to meet up in Charlie’s dorm the next day. Dean made his way around the quad again, walking fast to hopefully avoid running into Lisa. He arrived at Charlie’s door and he knocked. Dean’s eyes widened in surprise when Castiel opened the door.

“Charlie went over to her girlfriend’s room, but she said it’s okay that we hang in here,” Castiel explained.

Dean nodded, and he entered the room when Castiel stepped back. Castiel smiled at him before gesturing to the table.

Dean smiled back awkwardly before walking over to the table and sitting down, thinking about what he should say. He and Castiel hadn’t discussed much the day before, so they were about to start their relationship from scratch.

Castiel walked after Dean and took a seat directly across from him. “How was your day?”

“It was alright,” Dean answered. “How was yours?”

“Honestly, it wasn’t that great. I had a test today in one of my classes, and I’m not so sure that I did very well on it,” Castiel said, looking away from Dean.

“Hey, we don’t have to do this if that means you’d have more time to study and prepare for your tests,” Dean offered, looking down at his hands that he placed on top of the table.

“No, it’s fine. I want to help you out, Dean. You seem like a cool guy,” Castiel reassured him.

“Thanks, Cas.” Dean’s eyes widened and his cheeks heated up when he realized that he had given Castiel a nickname without even asking if it was okay. He felt like crawling into a hole and never leaving because of the embarrassment. He had only met the guy yesterday.

Castiel seemed a little surprised, too. He kept quiet, though.

“I’m sorry. Giving people nicknames is just something I do out of habit, I guess,” Dean tried explaining himself.

“It’s fine, Dean,” Castiel said. “And this will help with the relationship. Call me Cas, and we’ll seem close.”

“Okay, I’ll do that, then,” Dean smiled. Castiel seemed like a really nice guy. Maybe that means that doing this won’t be as miserable as Dean had originally thought.

“So, what are we gonna go over?” Castiel asked, pulling his pen and paper closer so that he could takes notes to study later.

Dean chuckled when he noticed the pen and paper, “Just the basics. Stuff Lisa might be curious to know.” He paused to look at Castiel. “So, how did we meet?”

Castiel didn’t say anything, waiting for Dean to continue with details. When Dean didn’t say anything, he questioned. “Oh, you’re asking me?”

Dean smiled and nodded his head. “Any suggestions?”

Castiel tilted his head as he thought. “Well, Charlie could be our alibi. We could say that she introduced us.”

Dean nodded in consideration. “Yeah, yeah, that’ll work.”

“We should probably think of the circumstances,” Castiel said. “When did she introduce us? Where were we introduced? What were our first impressions of each other? Those kinds of things.”

Dean smiled nervously, “Um, do you think I could get a sheet of paper and something to write with?”

Castiel laughed before nodding and then passed Dean a sheet of paper and a pencil.

“Okay, let’s get started.”

\---

“Have we kissed yet?” Castiel asked.

Dean’s head jerked up from where he was writing down notes to look at Castiel. He quickly composed himself. “Um, yeah. End of the first date. Add that in.” They both put that under the section of their notes titled ‘first date.’

“What do we do if she wants to see us kiss?” Castiel asked. Dean looked at him funny. “Like, what if while we are walking away, she is watching to see if we kiss? She might question you if we don’t.”

Dean thought for a moment before speaking. “Then, we’ll kiss. If you’re okay with that.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Castiel said. “Charlie… she explained to me what happened between you and Lisa. It’s understandable that you want to make her believe that you have moved on.” Dean opened his mouth to speak, a light blush littering his cheeks, but Castiel continued. “I’m willing to help you out.”

Dean cleared his throat after Castiel finished speaking. “She, uh, she told you about that?” he laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, not my proudest moments.” He ran a hand over his face, sighing. Now that he knew that Castiel knew about what happened, he couldn’t seem to stop talking.

Castiel watched Dean closely. He noted to himself that the blush on Dean’s cheeks made his freckles stand out more. He waited for Dean to continue, to say whatever he needed to say.

“Once I realized what was going on, I-” he stopped for moment to breathe. “It hurt. I felt so stupid. Why had it taken me so long to notice the change?”

“Dean, you shouldn’t beat yourself over what happened,” Castiel said. He didn’t know Dean very well, but seeing him upset like that didn’t feel good.

“I still feel like an ass,” Dean mumbled. “I was in such a bad mood after I noticed. I went off on Charlie over the smallest things. I didn’t mean to- didn’t mean a word I said, but I was so upset.”

“I’m sure Charlie understood,” Castiel assured him.

Dean smiled weakly. “Yeah, she said she did. She’s a great friend, ya know.”

Castiel smiled, “Yeah, I do know.”

They were both quiet for a moment, until Dean cleared his throat and sat up straight in his seat.

“Wow, you must really think I’m a wimp,” he chuckled, not looking at Castiel.

Castiel shook his head and Dean looked up at him. “I don’t think you’re a wimp, Dean. Your feelings for her were strong, and knowing that it wasn’t reciprocated hurt you, and you had every right to feel hurt.”

“Maybe I’m doing too much. Maybe I should have just told her that I hadn’t moved on, yet. There’s no shame in that, right?” Dean looked unsure.

“There’s no shame in that, but if you think that this is what you want to do, then I’ll go along with it,” Castiel said.

Dean sighed, “Well, I already told her I have a boyfriend. And the date is the day after tomorrow. So, I guess we’re sticking to the plan.”

“It’ll be fine, Dean. I’ll do my best to play the part believably.”

Dean was struck with an odd feeling in his chest, briefly wondering if Castiel could ever be more to him than a fake boyfriend. A friend, maybe? Or something more? He quickly pushed the thought away, reminding himself that the only reason Castiel was here was to be Dean’s fake boyfriend.

Castiel looked into Dean’s eyes and wondered if he would grow attached to this man. He wondered if Dean would grow attached to him, as well. He shook the thought away, and he reminded himself that he was only here to be Dean’s fake boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will focus on the double date. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

It was the day before the double date, and Dean and Castiel had agreed to meet up again at Charlie’s dorm again to make sure they had everything together.

Dean was stepping onto the sidewalk that borders the quad when someone tapped his shoulder from behind. He tensed up, fearing it was Lisa.

He turned around as calmly as he could, and was extremely relieved when it was Castiel. He breathed out heavily, and his shoulders relaxed.

Castiel tilted his head, confused. “What’s wrong, Dean?”

Dean shook his head, “I thought you were Lisa. I had my little run-in with her in the quad that led to all of this.”

Castiel’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape and Dean glanced but knew he shouldn’t stare. “Well, we should head over to Charlie’s. She waiting on us to get there so she can go and see Jo.”

Dean nodded and they began walking side by side. He continued to glance over at Castiel. He noted that Castiel’s eyes were more blue in the natural lighting. He looked away quickly when Castiel’s head began to turn.

“Do you live in the dorms?” Castiel asked, looking over at Dean.

“Yeah, what about you?” he questioned.

Castiel shook his head. “I have an apartment just off campus.”

Dean hummed. “You renting it with other students?”

“I live there alone. My parents are paying for it while I’m in college,” he answered.

“What about when you graduate?” Dean asked.

Castiel scratched at his head bashfully. “They want to buy me a house close to home, but I don’t want them to. I wanna support myself. I appreciate what they are doing, though. They’re very stubborn and will probably win this one.” He paused for a moment. “What about when you graduate?”

“I’m planning on renting an apartment near campus. My Sammy is a Freshman,” Dean smiled.

“Sammy?” Castiel questioned.

“He’s my brother. He works in the university bookstore,” Dean supplied.

“Sam? Extremely tall? Long hair?” Dean nodded. “That’s your brother? Your younger brother?” Dean laughed and nodded his head, amused at how shocked Castiel looked.

“That’s my little Sammy. So you know him?” he asked.

“I… needed a book from a higher shelf. He walked over and assisted me. He was very polite and made nice small talk while I was in the store,” Castiel smiled softly at Dean.

“He’s always been the most friendly of us, but I was the one with the insanely good looks,” Dean grinned. Castiel laughed and it sent a light feeling swarming into Dean’s stomach but it was gone as quick as it had come.

They were both quiet as they reached Charlie’s door. Dean raised his fist and knocked three times and Charlie opened the door before he had even lowered his arm.

She looked a little surprised when she saw they were together outside. She stepped back so they could enter.

“I’m leaving now to hang out with Jo. Have fun!” she exited quickly, shutting the door behind her and leaving Dean and Castiel alone.

Castiel moved to her kitchen table without looking back at Dean. “Okay, let’s go over these notes some more.”

Dean followed him wordlessly.

\---

“Okay, we’ve got this! We are gonna nail this double date,” Castiel smiled triumphantly after they both had succeeded in reciting all the information they had written down in random orders.

Dean sat there quietly, zoning out. Castiel shot him a worried glance.

“Dean? Are you alright? You don’t have to do this if you’re uncomfortable. Forget about what Lisa thinks,” Castiel rambled.

“What if our first kiss is super awkward, and Lisa gets suspicious? Do you- do you think we should practice?” Dean asked suddenly.

Castiel’s eyes widened, and Dean nearly panicked, stumbling over his words as he tried to backtrack but was cut off by Castiel.

“I honestly hadn’t thought of that. We could practice if you think that will help,” Castiel reassured Dean.

Dean swallowed nervously, but he knew the last thing he wanted to do was make Lisa suspicious about his “relationship” with Castiel. So he nodded.

Castiel nodded, too. He cleared his throat. “Maybe we should move to the couch?” he suggested.

Dean nodded and stood up, and they both walked over to the couch. He sat down first and rubbed his palms against his jeans nervously as Castiel sat down beside him.

“You’re one-hundred percent okay with this?” Castiel questioned, still looking worried.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Dean answered. “Are you okay with this?”

“I’m fine with this. I figured we’d have to kiss at some point. I wouldn’t have agreed to this if I wasn’t going to be okay with that,” Castiel reassured him. “I want to help you out with this.”

“Okay. Okay, so what? Do we just lean in and…” Dean trailed off.

“Whatever you’re comfortable with,” Castiel answered.

Dean nodded, “Okay, yeah. Let’s just- do that.”

Castiel smiled reassuringly and waited a moment before he began leaning in slowly. Dean sat extremely still, but Castiel didn’t seem to mind. Dean closed his eyes as he waited, and right when he closed them, soft lips touched his own.

Castiel pulled back, but didn’t sit all the way back. Dean could feel the heat radiating from Castiel’s body from the proximity. Dean opened his eyes and Castiel was staring at him.

“Was it okay? You’re fine with this?” Castiel asked quietly, searching Dean’s eyes for any hesitation or wariness.

Dean nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Maybe- I mean if you’re okay with- we should keep practicing?” he winced at how jumbled his words came tumbling out of his mouth.

Castiel didn’t laugh at him. He smiled at Dean before leaning in again. Dean watched as Castiel closed his eyes and he leaned in and met Castiel in the middle. They began pushing harder against each other’s lips but kept their mouths closed.

Dean wasn’t sure how long they were kissing because he zoned out and he was only focused on Castiel’s lips on his. He was so focused that he didn’t hear the door open.

“Wow, you guys are really getting to know each other.”

Dean’s eyes snapped open and he pulled away from Castiel so quick that he nearly fell off of the couch, barely catching himself with his arms braced against the coffee table.

He felt heat rushing up his neck and onto his cheeks and curling up his ears. He stammered, trying to defend himself.

“It’s- It’s not like that. This whole thing is fake so we are practicing so it’ll seem real,” Dean looked over at Castiel, waiting for him to agree, but he was staring blankly at Charlie.

Charlie chuckled. “Calm down, Dean. I know.”

He cleared his throat awkwardly, and he checked the time on his watch. He didn’t realize it had gotten so late.

“I should probably go home. I’ve got some work to finish up,” Dean stood up and retrieved his things from the kitchen table. “I’ll, uh, I’ll see you tomorrow, Cas.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Dean.” Dean exited Charlie’s dorm and closed the door behind him quietly.

Charlie looked over at Castiel and raised one of her eyebrows.

Castiel sighed and shrugged, but he knew he shouldn’t read too much into it. This thing he has with Dean is fake. He knows that. He shouldn’t be hoping for more. This will be over soon, but he at least wants to enjoy the time he’s got with Dean before it does end.

 

\---

It was the day of the double date and Dean was trying not to panic. He paced back in forth in front in his room, contemplating calling up Lisa and cancelling.

But that would create suspicion. And suspicion from Lisa was the last thing he needed.

He hadn’t heard from Castiel all morning, despite sending him three text messages earlier that morning, and he was growing more anxious by the minute.

The double date was in an hour and his ‘date’ wasn’t texting him back. He picked his phone up and pulled up his messages with Lisa.

After they had broken up, he had deleted her number from his phone, and he deleted all of their messages, so all that was there was messages regarding the double date.

He was about to begin typing a message of excuses as to why he and his date would not be able to go on the double date when there was a knock on his door.

He put his phone in his back pocket and went to the door. He opened it without checking who it was and blinked back his surprise when he saw Castiel.

“Hey,” Castiel smiled sheepishly at him, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“Hi,” Dean said, cocking his head to the side.

“I dropped my phone in the sink this morning while I was doing the dishes,” Castiel laughed shortly. “I went over to Charlie’s place and asked her which dorm you live in. I figured she would have texted you.”

Dean nodded wordlessly, taking a few steps back to allow Castiel inside.

“You’ve got a nice place here,” Castiel said, looking around.

“Well, Sam likes to keep this place tidy. It was a mess before he moved in,” Dean smiled and it widened when Castiel smiled as well.

“I brought the clothes I was going to wear on the date with me. Is it alright if I go change?” Castiel asked. Dean nodded and pointed him in the direction of the restroom.

With Castiel gone, Dean took a deep breath. Castiel didn’t seem awkward around him after their make out session the night before.

Dean scoffed quietly. Make out session? He shook his head before returning to his bedroom.

He sat on his bed, going through his phone, looking up when he sensed a presence in the doorway. He hoped his subtle gasp was subtle enough.

“Do I look okay? I picked this outfit out last night after I went home,” Castiel said, taking a step into Dean’s bedroom.

Dean didn’t trust his voice, so he nodded. He cleared his throat, and quickly gave Castiel a once over.

He was wearing a pale pink button down shirt and jeans and Dean felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Is that what you’re planning to wear?” Castiel asked, amused.

Dean looked down at himself, remembering that he was wearing an old t-shirt and navy blue sweatpants. He could feel his face heating up.

He opened his mouth to speak, but, instead, he stood up and went to his closet. He could hear Castiel’s soft chuckle from behind him.

Dean pulled out his best pair of jeans, and set them on his bed. He looked over at Castiel and caught his gaze sweeping down his legs, suddenly more aware of his bow-leggedness.

He could have sworn he heard Castiel whisper ‘cute’, but when he looked up, he wasn’t looking at Dean anymore.

Dean turned back to his closet and picked out a navy blue button down.

“I’ll leave you to get dressed,” Castiel said, leaving the room and pulling the door shut behind him.

Dean breathed out through his nose harshly after Castiel left, quickly getting dressed.

He waited a minute before leaving his room and looking for Castiel. He spotted him sitting on the couch, looking at his phone.

“Um, can I get you anything?” Dean asked awkwardly, internally cringing at himself.

“Water, please,” Castiel looked up and smiled at Dean. Dean nodded and went to the kitchen, coming back with two water bottles.

He passed one to Castiel and then sat down on the opposite end of the couch. He watched as Castiel uncapped the bottle and took a long drink, tilting his head back.

Dean looked away, feeling heat creep up his neck. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he had a text from Lisa.

[We are leaving now! See you soon :)]

He sighed before looking up at Castiel, who was already looking at him.

Castiel offered a small smile, “Are you ready to go?” Dean nodded, and Castiel stood. “Remember, you don’t have to do this. Forget about what Lisa says. But as long as you want to do this, I’ll be here.”

Dean breathed out slowly, standing up. “Thank you, Cas. I really appreciate it, seriously.” He grabbed his keys from the coffee table and they walked out and to his car.

“Charlie said you had a cool car,” Castiel chuckled as he got in on the passenger side of Dean’s impala.

“She’s my pride and joy,” Dean grinned, patting the steering wheel before putting the key in the ignition and turning.

Dean glanced over at Castiel, and they locked eyes. Castiel smiled at him and nodded reassuringly.

Dean drove to the little diner that Lisa had suggested for the double date. He parked and turned his car off.

Castiel got out first, shutting the door and walking to the driver’s side, the door still closed. He opened the door and looked down at Dean, offering his hand.

“You’ve got this, Dean,” Castiel smiled when Dean took his hand and got out of his car, shutting the door and double checking that this doors were locked.

Castiel squeezed his hand gently as they walked to the entrance. They walked inside and Dean immediately spotted Lisa. She soon saw him as well, smiling widely and waving them over enthusiastically.

She stood up and hugged Dean, and Castiel could feel Dean tense up where their hands were still connected. She pulled back and looked over at Castiel, still smiling widely.

“Hi, there! I’m Lisa Braeden. It’s nice to meet you!” she grinned and stuck her hand out for Castiel to shake. He had to pull his hand from Dean’s to shake hers.

“I’m Castiel Novak,” he smiled politely.

“Such a unique name-- and very handsome, you sure do know how to pick them, Dean” Lisa winked playfully.

Dean was not enjoying this in the slightest. He was very relieved when Lisa released Castiel’s hand and they were able to sit down.

The waiter came quickly to take their orders and then Lisa spoke up.

“Castiel, this is Maxwell Hill, my boyfriend,” Lisa said, and turned to grin at Maxwell.

Dean felt a hand on his knee and he looked over at Castiel, who was looking at Maxwell.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Castiel said, reaching across the table with the hand that wasn’t on Dean’s knee to shake Maxwell’s hand.

The hand on Dean’s knee patted gently, and Dean felt glad to have Castiel there with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while. Feedback is always appreciated.


End file.
